Birds

Tuesday, November 11, 2025 →

A Say’s Phoebe at Black Butte Reservoir, California

#SaysPhoebe #Birds #BirdPhotography #BlackButteReservoir #Fujifilm #CropToZoom #SOoCA flat headed Say's Phoebe bird, looking to the right, is colored brown all over with an orange belly, is perched on an oak branch, looking over a bough of oak leaves. The bird has a slight glint in its eyes and its front is sunlit. The background is bokeh of dried grass.

Saturday, November 8, 2025 →

We went out to Black Butte Reservoir (west of Chico, CA) today and I finally photographed a Rock Wren! #RockWren #Birds #BirdPhotography #BlackButteReservoir #Fujifilm #SOoC

A long-beaked Rock Wren is posing, chest toward the camera, on some old dead wood, surrounded by twigs. It has a black spotted face and neck with some linear traces of black on its chest. It has a black stripe going from its eye to the back of its head. Its beak is long and narrow.

Tuesday, October 28, 2025 →

Got a few bird photos from the backyard today. A Yellow Rumped Warbler and a White-Crowned Sparrow. We’ve been invaded by the Yellow-Rumped Warblers and it’s amazing to see them enjoy our plentiful insects and, occasionally, dried elderberries. These are cropped.  #YellowRumpedWarbler #WhiteCrownedSparrow #Birds #BirdPhotography #Fujifilm #CropToZoom

A Yellow-Rumped Warbler takes a drink from a bird bath. It is dipping down toward the water, and its beak is just reflected in the water. Its white wingbars are visible but it only has a splash of yellow.A White Crowned Sparrow is standing between two branches of a Ceanothus bush. Its looking to the left. It is showing off signature black head with bright white stripes.

Monday, October 20, 2025 →

Here are some random through-the-glass-slider photos of a few of the migratory songbirds finding food-a-plenty in our backyard: Yellow-Rumped Warbler & Lesser Gold Finch #YellowRumpedWarbler #LesserGoldfinch #Birds #Yarden

Three Yellow Rumped Warblers forage among brown asparagus fronds. Their yellow bellies are highlighted by the morning sunlight

A Lesser Goldfinch, back to camera & head turned in profile view, is perched in sweet basil foliage, it feasting on dried seeds. It has a yellow face, a black helmet, and white on black chevrons on its black tail.

Saturday, October 11, 2025 →

Here is a contented White Crown Sparrow gorging on seeds from a plant I haven’t identified. #WhiteCrownSparrow #Birds #PointReyesNationalSeashore #Fujifilm #SOoC

A close up of a White Crown sparrow that is facing left, getting ready to tuck into some seeds with tufted tops like a dandelion but much denser, almost like cotton. Its head is prominently stripped white above its eye with a black top of the head,

Saturday, October 4, 2025 →

There are two Ravens at the Point Reyes Lighthouse. And apparently they’re celebrities among the park staff (who are very nice & full of knowledge!). I hope all furloughed National Park staff are okay. These photos are from just before the US Government shutdown. #Ravens #Birds #BirdPhotography #PointReyesNationalSeashore #Fujifilm #SOoC

Two Ravens on a linear concrete structure that runs along Point Reyes Conglomerate. The Raven on the left has their feathers puffed out. Both are looking to the left. The blue sky peaks out a bit above the outcropping.A Raven walks along an inclined roof, with some shiny black feathers being lifted by wind. Its beak is just open and it is looking to the left. The background and the roof are completely blurred out.

Friday, October 3, 2025 →

Here’s a proud scrub jay with a tasty treat in its beak #WesternScrubJay #Birds #PointReyesNationalSeashore #Fujifilm #SOoC

A Western Scrubjay, with a white underbelly, and a blue upper body with a gray cape, is perched on the top of a weathered wooden post. It has some sort of insect in its beak, maybe a wasp or a hornet. It is in full profile view, though its face is shaded out.

Sunday, September 28, 2025 →

The White Crowns are back! #WhiteCrown #Birds

Saturday, September 27, 2025 →

#GreatBlueHeron #Birds #PointReyesNationalSeashore #Fujifilm #SOoC

A Great Blue Heron, wings spread out, appears to be aggressively stumbling through water, making a small splash with its right foot. It looks very awkward.

Friday, September 5, 2025 →

A Nuttal’s woodpecker visited our front yard Toyon yesterday! #Yarden #NuttalsWoodpecker #Birds

Sunday, August 31, 2025 →

Adult California Gull and their chicks at the Arcata Marsh & Wildlife Sanctuary last July #CaliforniaGull #BirdPhotography #Birds #NorCalCoast2025 #Fujifilm #SOoCOn a manmade island, covered in short grass, an adult white and gray California Gull looks away from their three chicks. The chicks have fluffy brown plumage.

Saturday, August 30, 2025 →

Brown Pelicans occupying an island at the Arcata Marsh & Wildlife Sanctuary back in July #BrownPelicans #BirdPhotography #Birds #NorCalCoast2025 #Fujifilm #SOoCA Brown Pelican comes in for a landing on a very small island in a large pond. The island is full of other brown pelicans, mostly grooming themselves. They're a dirty brown with awkwardly long necks and long, thick beaks.

Tuesday, August 26, 2025 →

Last time I was in Mendocino County, for the first time I finally saw the Stellar’s Jay. The fancy looking birds were a riot to watch flitting between trees. They were not easy to photograph being high up in the canopy. #StellarsJay #BirdPhotography #Birds #NorCalCoast2025 #Fujifilm #SOoC

The back of a Stellar's Jay, with its signature mohawk head crest, sitting on a dead branch. It is looking to the right, so its face with a very large and dark eye can be seen. There's green foliage in the background, slightly blurred.

Thursday, July 24, 2025 →

#WhiteTailedKite #Birds #BirdPhotography #NorCalCoast2025 #Fujifilm #SoOC

A White-tailed kite, soaring above under overcast skies, is gliding away from the camera, showing its belly and an eye. It has a mostly white body with its wings fading to grey. Its neck has a rust-red collar.

Wednesday, July 23, 2025 →

#Wrensday #MarshWren #Birds #BirdPhotography #NorCalCoast2025 #Fujifilm #SoOC

A tiny Marsh Wren, kind of far from the photographer, is perched on a reed, just below a fluffy cat-tail head. The Marsh Wren is looking to the right, with its near vertical short tail just visible behind the reed. It is within a sea of other cat tails, all with fluffy stuff hanging off them.

Monday, July 21, 2025 →

#GreaterYellowLegs #Birds #BirdPhotography #NorCalCoast2025 #Fujifilm #SoOC

A Greater Yellowlegs shorebird has a small fish or minnow hanging from its beak. The bird is mostly grey with black vertical markings here and there, especially on its wings. Its eyes are very dark and its legs are orange yellow. It is standing alone in a very shallow pond on an overcast day.

Saturday, July 19, 2025 →

#GreatEgret #Birds #BirdPhotography #NorCalCoast2025 #Fujifilm #SoOC

A very close Great Egreg stands tall in a pond, both black legs visible, looking to the right. Its yellow eyes and closed orange beak stand out. The Egret has traces of brown sludge on its neck and tail. Its reflection is in the pond, though it is slightly obscured by some extremely blurry vegetation.

Friday, July 18, 2025 →

That’s a beak-full. Took some time for them to swallow the whole fish. #GreatEgret #Birds #BirdPhotography #NorCalCoast2025 #Fujifilm #SoOC

A Great Egret. all white except its black legs, stands on the shore of a pond, with a fish horizontal in its beak. The fish head and tail can be seen. An uncaring brown duck paddles past. Behind the egret is a grassy area that has been cut back to bare soil by past pond high water.

Thursday, July 17, 2025 →

Who wants grubs? #AmericanRobin #Birds #BirdPhotography #NorCalCoast2025 #Fujifilm #SoOC

An American Robin has a beak full of grubs! It is very close to the camera, perhaps standing on a gravel path. It is looking away from the camera, standing tall and proud. The robin has a gray back and red chest and belly.

Wednesday, July 16, 2025 →

“Bruh!” (as captioned by a friend) #BlackCappedChickadee #Birds #BirdPhotography #NorCalCoast2025 #Fujifilm #SoOC

A Black-capped Chickadee is perched on a oblique reed, with its beak open, singing. It has a black cap. a while stripe under its eyes, a black chin, gray wings, and a white belly and chest. The background is blurred vegetation.

Tuesday, July 15, 2025 →

Since you all love Swallows, here’s one that’s comfy on the outside of their nest box #TreeSwallow #Birds #BirdPhotography #NorCalCoast2025 #Fujifilm #SoOC

A Tree Swallow is perched on the top of a wooden bird box. The tree swallow has a blue head and shoulders, gray wings, and a white belly and chest. The bird box is on a metal T post. There are visible scratches below the bird box hole. In the background is bokeh vegetation, probably tree foliage.

Monday, July 14, 2025 →

#TreeSwallow #Birds #BirdPhotography #NorCalCoast2025 #Fujifilm #SoOC

A tree swallow peaks out from a bird box hole. It has a blue head and a white chin. The bird box is on a post. Behind the bird box is blurred out vegetation.

Saturday, July 5, 2025 →

A duo of juvenile Northern Mockingbirds in our elderberry & ceanothus bushes #BirdPhotography #Birds #Yarden #Fujifilm #SOoC

In the top third of the photo is a sharply focused, juvenile northern Mockingbird with a speckled chest and a little hair is coming down off its chin. It is among in-focus Ceanothus leaves. In the middle third of the photo is an out of focus northern mockingbird among out of focus Elderberry leaves. The sky is a nice blue.

Saturday, July 5, 2025 →

Juvenile Northern Mockingbird enjoying our backyard bounty of Elderberries #NorthernMockingbird #BirdPhotography #Birds #Yarden #Fujifilm #SOoC

A perched juvenile Northern Mockingbird with a dirty face and a speckled chest is looking out over a clump of mostly eaten elderberries. The sky is quite blue.

Monday, June 30, 2025 →

A California Towhee taking the bridge to a singing perch #CaliforniaTowhee #SacramentoWildlifeRefuge #Birds #BirdPhotography #Fujifilm #SOoC

Thursday, June 12, 2025 →

In my backyard, a juvenile scrub jay has been tearing pieces of green tree tape and caching them. Meanwhile an adult jay is foraging nearby. #WesternScrubJay #Birds #BirdPhotography #Fujifilm #SOoCA Juvenile Western Scrub-Jay, with a grey head and fluffy bottom, standing in profile on dry, textured ground, holding a small green object in its beak.

Thursday, May 15, 2025 →

The Northern Mockingbird pair are mostly absent from their nest. I guess the ambient temperature is warm enough that they don’t feel the need to lay on the eggs?

Three Northern Mockingbird eggs with a rust red speckle on a green shell rests in a cozy nest. The nest is in a grapevine. It is shaded by grape leaves, and sunlight is trying stream through.

#NestWatch #Nest #NorthernMockingbird #Birds #Fujifilm #SOoC

Sunday, May 11, 2025 →

There are at least two Northern Mockingbird eggs in the nest! The momma bird went off for a snack & I carefully took a brief look. #NestWatch

#NorthernMockingbird #Birds #Nest #Fujifilm #SOoC A Northern Mockingbird's nest with a few rust red speckled eggs inside, surrounded by green grape leaves and branches. The sun shines brightly through the wide leaves.

Saturday, May 10, 2025 →

Our (male?) Northern Mockingbird is still actively inspecting and improving the nest in our grapes just outside our glass slider door. I think they’ve partnered up so perhaps the nest will be fully occupied soon! #NestWatch #NorthernMockingbird #Birds #BirdPhotography #FujifilmA Northern Mockingbird is sitting in a nest surrounded by green leaves and branches. It has an outstretched neck to peak out while its tail is almost straight up. It is surrounded by grape leaves and vines.

A Northern Mockingbird stands on a nest, tail at a 45° angle, surrounded by lush green grape leaves and vines. It is clearly getting ready to fly off

Thursday, May 8, 2025 →

Double-crested Cormorant flying very low over the San Francisco Bay at Anza Fisherman’s Park #DoubleCrestedCormorant #Birds #BirdPhotography #SanFrancisco #Fujifilm #SOoC A double crested cormorant flying low over the San Francisco Bay, with its wings spread and reflections visible on the surface. It has a lower beak that is orange, grey wings, and a black head and back.